All in all it’s just another stick in the hub
FedEx arrived at my door yesterday bearing good news in the form of a ridiculously large box containing a ridiculously small portable audio player. The device, known affectionately amongst inner circles as Q98, is known to the public as the diminutive, the screenless, the practically impossible to find iPod shuffle.
Just a few first impressions:
- The box smells strangely and strongly of mothballs.
- The iPod shuffle really is the perfect size.
- I am going to lose that end cap in very short order.
- I know that I should not eat, nor chew, the iPod shuffle. But it’s really tempting.
- BIG sound from a tiny player. The audio quality is quite excellent, even with the much-maligned white earbuds. It is also quite excellent in my car, even on whatever crap stock speakers are in my Toyota Corolla.
- The automagic Autofill feature is sweet. iTunes had no trouble discerning which tracks actually reside on my Powerbook, out of a music library that spans three different volumes (two of which were not connected at the time). This addresses one of my beefs with iTunes.
- It will double as a 1GB USB thumb drive, and that is freaking cool.
- I do have one complaint about the iPod shuffle. The box that the software came in has a message emblazoned across the cover in 5 different languages: “Don’t steal music.” I’m sure that the RIAA is breathing down your neck, Apple, but really. Why am I being made to feel like a thief before I even open up the box?!? So not cool.
Oh… and did I mention the thing is really dang small?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
mmjr said 4:14PM on 6-16-2005
a) Damn small! Yummy piece of design genius! b) The RIAA-appeasing message is a sad sign of the roadblocks created by music executives who fell asleep at the wheel and woke up to find a world they cannot (institutionally and technologically) cope with. Too bad for them. Hint: To make this beautiful thing even smaller choose a bigger hand to hold it, a common trick in advertising for cell phones. :)
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Thomas Chai said 11:39AM on 6-28-2005
I am getting one of it once it's available at my local store. Just like you said, my main use for iPod shuffle will be a 1GB thumbdrive but with Music in it.
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Lee said 7:15PM on 6-28-2005
A quick iPhoto5-generated music video of my Shuffle unboxing. Large .mov file size though!
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csipod said 4:14PM on 6-16-2005
The price + features relative to other thumbdrives make the shuffle a pretty good deal. So if you're in the need of a thumdrive, I can see the shuffle making sense.
But as an Apple fan-boy, I think if you're wanting a music player, the Mini or iPod is much better. And the added bonus of being a portable USB 2.0 / Firewire drive far outweighs the shuffle.
Even if they're free (click handle) the full blown iPod is a better deal. The shuffle will just leave you wanting more.... then again, that could be the whole point.
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Jonathan Horak said 6:07PM on 9-07-2005
There's a solution to your third impression, "I am going to lose that end cap in very short order" — the iPod shuffle cap hack [1].
1. http://www.playlistmag.com/weblogs/todayatplaylist/2005/01/shuftrix/
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Jonathan Horak said 6:07PM on 9-07-2005
There's a solution to your third impression, "I am going to lose that end cap in very short order" — the iPod shuffle cap hack [1].
1. http://www.playlistmag.com/weblogs/todayatplaylist/2005/01/shuftrix/
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bhennan said 4:14PM on 6-16-2005
What is that Kennsington device the iShuffle is plugged into?
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barb dybwad said 4:41PM on 10-07-2005
csipod - if it's going to be your first and only portable music player, I agree with you - I would recommend the mini or the regular iPod to someone. But for me, someone who already has several other portable audio solutions I already routinely use... the shuffle is *awesome.* At some point I would love to get a few extra and just have them 'around' to stumble upon in my house/bag/car. "Oh look, a bunch of music in a little stick. I have no recollection what's on here whatsoever. Cool!!" But that's my personality. :)
Jonathan - I saw the hack and posted it here. But I think aesthetically... it's not my bag, baby. :) I'll probably at some point roll my own solution that's a little more unobtrusive. Or, I'll lose the cap. ;)
bhennan - it's a Kensington Pocket USB hub:
http://www.kensington.com/html/1963.html
It comes with a power adapter just in case, but it's given full power throughput to anything I've been able to throw at it which is more than I can say of older 'desktop' hubs I have that don't even deliver full power when plugged in! It's tiny and handy and perfect if you travel with your laptop.
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Jeff said 4:14PM on 6-16-2005
Can I use it as memory stick?
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